Despite the proliferation of self-driving car technology, there are still a few of us who like to drive. Fortunately, Acura hasn’t forgotten us. It has a new offering aimed at those who want to have a little fun going from point A to B, but who still need a bit of practicality. The Acura TLX is a mid-sized sedan with sharp, modern looks. The A-Spec version, which I drove, offers V6 performance, good handling and driving excitement.
As long as you have the key fob in your pocket, you can merely approach the car, open the door and press the start engine button to be on your way—very convenient. In another break from convention, to shift into gear, you simply push a button on the center console between the seats. (Chrysler, AMC and Edsel had push-button transmissions in the late ’50s and early ’60s, but the buttons weren’t located between the seats.) Each button is distinguished by a different shape, and there is a switch to engage reverse.
Once you hit ‘D,’ things get fun in a hurry, especially in the sporty A-Spec, which offers four drive modes: economy, normal, sport and sport+. It’s very responsive in sport and sport+ and includes all-wheel steering to aid high-speed cornering. Combined with tight, communicative steering, good road feel, stiff suspension and a powerful, normally aspirated V6 engine, it creates a fast, fun car that begs to be tossed around, while still offering a comfortable highway ride. The brakes are good, but you have to step on the pedal firmly. Surprisingly, for a front-wheel drive car with this much power, there’s almost no torque steer. All-wheel drive also is available. The A-Spec’s sporty nature is exemplified by a spoiler and a strut brace between the front shock towers to increase torsional stiffness, which helps keep it flat in curves.
Inside, the TLX offers the expected amenities of a modern luxury performance car, like sporty, well-bolstered heated and cooled front seats, dual zone automatic climate control, a power moonroof, LED headlights, navigation with real-time traffic, rain-sensing wipers, and a wireless phone charger. The TLX interface features two screens, one on top of the dash, the other at the top of the dash console. The lower touchscreen is for ventilation control display and doubles as a keyboard when navigation is displayed above—a handy feature. The upper screen handles the aforementioned navigation display, phone controls and vehicle settings via a rotary knob. Navigation directions are conveniently displayed on a small screen between the two large round analogue gauges.
Room is plentiful, with generous head and leg room for backseat passengers. There’s a big, deep trunk with fold-down rear seats. Safety features are abundant, including blind spot and rear crosstraffic monitors, a rear-view camera with guidelines, parking sensors, collision mitigation braking, adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, lane departure and road departure mitigation.
According to Bill Dauben, general manager at Mungenast St. Louis Acura, “The TLX is the best driving car I’ve driven thanks to the handling and sneaky fast acceleration. Plus, it’s very comfortable!”
acura tlx
price
Base | $43,750 including delivery
As driven with options | $43,750
gas mileage
city | 20
highway | 30
drivetrain
front engine, front-wheel drive
3.5-litre, V6 engine
290 horsepower
9-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters
Robert Paster (robertpaster.com) is also an attorney in private practice, concentrating in estate planning and probate.
